1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention relate in general to fluid delivery systems and in particular to manifolds for delivering fluids under pressure.
2. Description of the Related Art
Often in oilfield operations, fluids are pumped into a wellbore extending through a geologic formation. Hydraulic fracturing is an example of an oilfield operation in which fluids are pumped into a wellbore at a sufficient pressure to fracture the geologic formation. Fracturing the geologic formation provides a conductive path for hydrocarbons captured in the geologic formation to reach the wellbore, and thereby facilitates recovery of the hydrocarbons through the wellbore.
In general, the equipment used in hydraulic fracturing includes a tank or other source of low-pressure fracturing fluid, a slurry blender, a plurality of high-pressure, high volume fracturing pumps, and various hoses and pipelines to direct the flow of the fracturing fluid to the wellbore. The management of the number of trucks, pumps, containers, pipelines, and other equipment for a fracturing system presents significant challenges to an operator. For example, it is often necessary to interrupt operations to investigate a malfunction or to repair the equipment. Additionally, to be cost effective, once fracturing operations are complete at a first well site, the complex system of equipment must often be disassembled, relocated, and reassembled at another well site for reuse. These connections and disconnections consume a considerable amount of time and manpower.